EEAS Vacancy Notice Contract Agent FGIV – Job title: Desk Officer Regional Cooperation and Eastern Partnership

We are

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the work of the High Representative in defining and implementing an effective and coherent EU foreign policy. The EEAS supports his tasks of conducting the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and chairing the Foreign Affairs Council. It also supports the High Representative in his capacity as Vice President of the Commission with regard to his responsibilities within the Commission in the external relations field including the coordination of other aspects of the EU's external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with Member States, the Council and relevant services of the European Commission.

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The Division EURCA.1 ‘Regional Eastern Partnership, Regional Cooperation and OSCE’ manages the EEAS contribution to the Eastern Partnership regional policy framework with the EU’s 6 Eastern European partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and manage the multilateral dimension of the Partnership. The Division also coordinates and develops the EU's relations with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It represents the EEAS in the Northern Dimension as well as regional initiatives in the Baltic, Barents and Black Seas.

We propose

The position of a political desk officer for regional cooperation encompassing Northern Dimension and Nordic Issues, Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC): Council of Baltic Sea States, and EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS).

In addition to being responsible for handling regional cooperation in the North, the desk officer will also contribute to the work of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) team, and act as a back-up for EaP and other formats the division is covering.

Specific requirements:

The overall purpose of the post is to contribute to the definition and implementation of EU policies, in particular:

• Policy analysis: Analyse, follow-up, and give updates on developments on the political and sectoral aspects of regional cooperation;
• Policy definition: Contribute to the definition of EU policies in the fields indicated above, in co-ordination with Commission services, Member States, the country concerned, and other partners;
• Policy development: Contribute to the overall policy development and regional cooperation in the North and in the Eastern Partnership;
• Programme / project evaluation: Evaluate the impact of co-operation, programmes and related measures from a political/strategic point of view;
• Institutional and stakeholder relations: Organise and maintain relations, co-ordination, and contacts with the Commission, Presidency, the relevant Council groups, the European Parliament, Member States, the country concerned as well as relevant NGOs; represent the EEAS in relevant meetings. Deal with parliamentary questions and petitions;
• Inter-service consultation: Carry out and respond to inter-service consultations. Follow-up of briefing requests/dossiers. Create and maintain network of inter-service contacts;
• External communication: Communicate relevant policy to outside organisations and contacts.

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available: 01/09/2023

We look for

A motivated, dynamic and well-organised colleague with a strong team spirit.

Legal basis

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS).¹

Subject to having passed the CAST exam, the successful candidate will be offered a contract agent position (Function group IV), on the basis of a contract with an initial duration of one year that may be renewed for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates for this contract agent IV post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in FG IV; or (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent CAST in FG IV (https://epso.europa.eu/en/job-opportunities/open-for-application) In that case, while the registration will render the candidate eligible for the selection procedure, the recruitment of a candidate on this vacant post will be subject to their successfully passing of the CAST exam that this candidate will be called to attend.²
• have completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
• have the capacity to work in languages of CFSP and external relations necessary for the performance of their duties. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an asset;
• be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Candidates should:

• have ability to maintain diplomatic relations and to ensure representation and
• communication in a complex, multicultural environment;
• have capacity to create constructive working relations in the field of external relations with national authorities, international organisations and EU Member States;
• have strong drafting and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• have knowledge of external relations, internal policies and functioning of the Union;
• have excellent communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts both within and outside the EEAS;
• have the ability to communicate clearly on complex issues and the capacity to perform with accuracy and in a flexible manner a diversity of tasks in a complex institutional environment;
• have strong service attitude;
• be fluent in English and in French (both orally and in writing);
• have geographical knowledge and/or experience of regional cooperation in the North and of the Eastern Neighbourhood;
• be a flexible team player.

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions; and

would be considered as strong assets.

Specific conditions of employment

The signature of the contract will be subject to prior favourable opinion of the Medical Service.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting if she or he does not hold already a Personal Security Clearance to an appropriate level, in accordance with relevant security provisions.

Equal Opportunities

The EEAS is committed to an equal opportunities policy for all its employees and applicants for employment. As an employer, the EEAS is committed to promoting gender equality and to preventing discrimination on any grounds. It actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States. We aim at a service which is truly representative of society, where each staff member feels respected, is able to give their best and can develop their full potential.

Candidates with disabilities are invited to contact CONTRACTAGENTS-HQ@eeas.europa.eu in order to accommodate any special needs and provide assistance to ensure the possibility to pass the selection procedure in equality of opportunities with other candidates. If a candidate with a disability is selected for a vacant post, the EEAS is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in accordance with Art 1d.4 of the Staff Regulations.

Application and selection procedure³

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Please send your CV and cover letter (with your EPSO CAST number) via email to EURCA-1@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 24/05/2023 at 12.00 (CET).

Candidates shall draft their CV following the European CV form which can be found at the following internet address: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae.

Late applications will not be accepted.

The selection panel will make a pre-selection on the basis of the qualifications and professional experience described in the CV and motivational letter, and will produce a shortlist of eligible candidates who best meet the selection criteria for the post. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be informed about the outcome of the pre-selection phase.

The candidates who have been preselected will be invited for an interview by a selection panel. The panel will recommend a shortlist of candidates for a final decision by the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts of Employment. The Authority may decide to interview the candidates on the final shortlist before taking this decision.

In the interest of the service, after identifying the candidate that best fulfils the requirement of the post as set out in the vacancy notice and that has successfully passed the CAST exam, the AACC may also establish a reserve list of candidates. These candidates shall be informed that the reserve list shall remain valid for a period of one year from when it is established and that it may be used to fill the same post or an equivalent post in the EEAS having the same job profile.

It is recalled, that if the interest of the service so requires, the selection procedures can be terminated at any stage in the interest of the service.

1. Staff Regulations of Officials (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). For reference, see

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1570023902133&uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20190101

2. An invitation to sit the CAST exam does not commit the EEAS to invite the candidate to a selection panel nor to offer a Contract Agent position, should they succeed the CAST exam.

3. Your personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, as implemented by ADMIN(2019)8 Decision of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The privacy statement is available on the Europa website: (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eeas-privacy-statement-data-protection-notice-purpose-processing-personal-data-related-public_en) and on the EEAS Intranet:(https://intranet.eeas.europa.eu/page/eeas-work/data-protection/privacy-statements-dp-notices)